Here’s just one of many tedious speeches from Governor Schweitzer detailing his view on energy development:
Part one of Schweitzer’s speech (above) on CSpan is mostly talking about conservation and the 12 steps to curing our addiction to energy. You can easily find part 2 if you can stomach it.
Schweitzer is two faced when speaking about Montana’s resources- on one hand he details how he has promoted energy development, then turns the other way to cheer his base and discourage development:
…he wants to give those oil companies another $4 billion in tax breaks, Four billion in tax breaks? That’s a lot of change, but not the change we need. -Gov. Schweitzer speaking about McCain
Among other lies, Schweitzer goes on about our country’s lack of oil reserves, how he has increased Montana’s oil production and improved Montana’s economy. He also addresses the urgency of the energy crisis… and yet Governor Brian Schweitzer is one of the largest barriers to domestic energy production here in our own backyard. Just south of us, Wyoming is safely utilizing their resources, and their economy and education funding is reflecting that. Here in Montana, crude oil production is down all while reserves are consistently going up.
I see no problem to working towards renewable resources, but until those technologies are up to speed and lower in cost (and the free market is amazingly efficient in that), we need to use what we have. Montana has several hundred years of inexpensive, easily extractable energy resources just waiting to be used while we work on alternate fuel and energy technology. But instead of allowing the free market to work, Governor Schweitzer and his buddies in the environmental lobby** prefer to have Americans paying $4 a gallon gas and high heating costs all while throwing taxpayer money at those select few who can afford hybrids and solar panels.
I like to judge a man on his actions rather than his empty words… But Governor Schweitzer’s actions highlight just who his true constituency is. What about the rest of us trying to afford the bill at the pump? What about the rest of us trying to pay our utility bill? Governor Schweitzer, I ask again, what about the rest of us?
**Governor Schweitzer has placed many of these friends in key positions on the Climate Change Council- many of whom have a direct stake in seeing Green legislation and regulation. It’s detailed here at MTPolitics with a description here of the supposedly “objective” council:
On first blush, it seems like a reasonable list. Gary Perry and Sue Dickenson are identified by party, but others are not. Let’s look at the list a little bit, and fill in some blanks.
* Peggy Beltrone is a Democrat (although as a county commissioner, those elections are non-partisan) County elections are partisan. My mistake.
* Bob Raney, who is not only a Democrat, but serves on the PSC, which are partisan elections.
* Pat Judge, who, judging from his biography, certainly leans left, as does the MEIC.
* Dave Ryan works for NCAT, a group that is very big into the whole climate change hysteria.
* Gloria Flora, who heads up an advocacy group.
* Steve Loken, a Missoula builder affiliated with Center for Resourceful Building Technology, which seems to be down at this time, but his company bills itself as “providing quality workmanship that is environmentally responsible.”
* Mark Brandt, of the Teamsters
* Charles McGraw, of the National Resources Defense Council, yet another advocacy group.
* Trudi Peterson, practitioner of environmentally sound ranching.
* Mary Fitzpatrick, of the Montana Conservation Voters, another advocacy group
* Robert Boettcher, an organic farmer
Make of that what you will.
